Single Parent Rights
Single Parent Rights exists to end discrimination towards single parent families in the UK. Our core campaign is calling on the UK government to add single parents as a protected characteristic to the Equality Act. #SingleParentRights
We conduct research into single parent discrimination and advocate for change. Our current campaigns focus on ending discrimination in childcare access and social security policies. You can watch our Founder, Ruth Talbot, giving evidence on work conditionality at the Work and Pensions Committee here.
Single Parent Rights is the leading single parent voice fighting systemic discrimination. Led by single parents, for single parents, we were established during the first UK lockdown in 2020 when the fast-paced policy-making environment highlighted how single parents are consistently overlooked by policy-makers, employers, and businesses. Read our manifesto for single parents to learn more about what we are calling for.
We are also a leading member of a network of single parent organisations collaborating to celebrate Single Parents Day on 21st March every year. If you’re a single parent led organisation and would like to get involved drop us an email.
jOIN THE FIGHT
Single parent or not, you can join the fight for single parent equality by taking action and keeping up with the campaign on twitter @SglParentRights or Instagram and Facebook @SingleParentRights
Our Track Record
Our first campaign success came when we lobbied Number Ten to introduce support bubbles in the first UK national lockdown in 2020. Since then the campaign has amassed the support of over twenty UK organisations, had motions of support passed by three local councils (Southwark, Hackney and Norwich), Unison’s North West Women’s Forum, Birmingham University and College Union branch, and the Clyde Labour Party CLP. We have also gained significant coverage across national and regional media and have the backing of a number of politicians. Our research report has opened up a new area of discourse surrounding single parent families and we have presented our findings at Oxford and Chester University. We take a collaborative approach and have coordinated lobbying activities around the 30 hours Universal Credit rule with over 70 organisations in the sector. We are also a member of the End Child Poverty coalition.
Take Action
We are currently running a survey into parental leave in the UK (maternity/paternity/adoption) to look at how upcoming reforms can address the needs of single parents. If you were a single parent when you became a parent (through birth or adoption) please take five minutes to complete our survey here. Please share with your networks too. The more responses we get, the better our understanding of single parent realities so we can advocate for change.
Visit our take action page for links to MP letters, petitions and more.
tHE 80%
Our groundbreaking research found that 80% of single parents face discrimination. Download our survey results or read the full report as featured in The Guardian.
Single Parenting in a Nutshell
This video from the Vulnerability and One Parent Families Network is a great summary of single parenting.
